As Western experts seek to build ties with the rebels who have seized power in Syria, a religious minority is waging its own struggle for protection. block for its members during the country’s reconstruction.
A representative of the group, Druse, recently traveled to Washington to meet with lawmakers, members of the Biden and Trump administrations and representatives to plead their case.
“We are very worried about the future,” Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif said in an interview in Washington, where he urged US officials to prioritize the Syrian defense. 1.2 million Druse as part of their cooperation with the new government.
In December, after a long civil war, a group of Syrian rebels opposed President Bashar al-Assad and established an interim government. The rebellion ends in violence against the government, but for Western countries there is still a problem: The Islamist group that led the rebellion once had ties to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and because therefore has been designated as a terrorist organization.
The rebel leaders have renounced their old alliances and vowed to create a Syria that is tolerant of other religions. And Western leaders, eager to rebuild, have shown their openness to working with Islamist groups now in power, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
But members of the Syrian minority such as the Druse, who practice Shiite Islam and can still be found in Lebanon, Israel and Jordan, remain skeptical. The spiritual leader of the Druse in Syria, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajari, show wariness In a recent interview with a German journalist over the promise of tolerance given by Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmad al-Shara.
Sheikh Tarif, his counterpart in Israel, said Mr. al-Shara did not move fast enough.
“He speaks well,” said Sheikh Tarif. “What I hear is that the West is happy and they like what he said. But there is a lot of fear among the minorities. We want the words to be followed by actions.”
Mr. al-Shara has seek to distance himself from his jihadist group’s roots, promises to create a new constitution, outline the main political position and seek to support Syria’s minorities. In the Sweida district in the south, for example, a Druse woman is recently appointed governor.
But some observers said that Mr. al-Shara can join only to work to open foreign aid. Already, some moves his new government has made – it seems Make changes to the text – has raised concerns in Syria about its commitment to religious pluralism.
Sheikh Tarif said that in his meeting with Western officials, he asked for more financial aid to Syria, and for sanctions against the country to be lifted – but only with evidence that the new government has kept its promises. He said that he also tried to make the Druse communities in Syria and throughout the Middle East as important partners for Western countries in order to influence the interests of the country and the region.
For centuries, the Druse have survived throughout the Middle East in part by integrating politically in the countries they live in, despite keeping their religious differences. In Syria, they played an important role in history, as leaders rebelled against French rule in 1925 which came to be seen as the country’s first nationalist uprising.
“The Druse have paid a high price for Syria’s freedom,” Sheikh Tarif said.
When the uprising against Assad’s government began in 2011, some Druse joined the rebel group, although the community’s support was mixed, with concerns that the jihadist group against the government would throw first for their faith. The Druse fighters took part in the attack on the protesters who freed Mr. al-Assad.
In Israel, the Druse community of about 150,000 people Mr. Tariff has been in recent years against the government’s right to become a law. marginalizes minorities. “There’s a lot to improve,” he said. But Mr. Tarif dismissed criticism of the Israeli army’s recent invasion of territory in Syria near its border, saying that Israel has made it safe.
He noted that the Druse leaders and soldiers have lost their battle as members of the Israeli army in conflict with the Hamas-led attack on the people. Israel on October 7, 2023, and remembers the death last summer of 12 young Druse in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights who were killed by Hezbollah rockets from Lebanon.
Given their presence in many countries, Sheikh Tarif said, the Druse consider their own potential bridge. “We can teach how to live in peace,” he said.